A lot of people think that fat is an unhealthy substance that should be avoided in the diet.  Nothing, however, could be farther from the truth.  In fact, if you completely avoid fat in your diet, you will die.  For example, did you know that every cell in your body has a fatty membrane that surrounds it?  If your body is not supplied with regular fat intake, your cells will be unable to replicate properly. This will eventually lead to your demise.

Having established that fat is an important component of your diet, it is important to note that there are good fats and bad fats.  In general, a good fat is any fat that is a liquid at room temperature.  These fats are considered unsaturated fats.  On the other hand, a bad fat is any fat that is solid at room temperature.  These fats are considered saturated fats.  It is easy to understand why your body preferres fats in liquid form.  Imagine a liquid fat versus a solid fat floating around in your arteries.  Which do you think is more likely to clog things up?

Interestingly enough, there is no caloric difference between a saturated fat and an unsaturated fat.  All fats contain 9 calories per gram.  From the standpoint of your weight loss or weight gain, there is no difference between saturated and unsaturated fats.  If you are cooking with an excessive amount of unsaturated fats such as olive oil/vegetable, your food will still be calorie laden.  Just because unsaturated fats are less likely to clog your arteries does not mean that the excess calories will not be deposited in your fat stores.  Remember that fat should only comprise 30% of your daily caloric intake for a healthy diet.

The take-home message is to make sure that you include fats as an important part of your dietary plan.  Simply make sure that your fats are unsaturated, and limited to a maximum 30% of your diet. Also, be aware of fat's high calorie content.